Rachel Selzer

As a case coordinator at Democracy Docket, Rachel tracks and reports on a wide range of voting rights and election-related litigation. Originally from Connecticut, Rachel graduated from Washington University in St. Louis, where she participated in her university’s voter registration organization and served as a poll worker. In her free time, Rachel enjoys long-distance running and exploring local landmarks and museums.

How One Local Republican Is Trying To Invalidate Washington State’s Voting Rights Act

On May 11, 2023, the Washington Supreme Court will hear a direct constitutional challenge to the Washington Voting Rights Act. How did a previously resolved case morph into a direct challenge to the Act?

By Rachel Selzer

May 10, 2023

An open-face manilla file folder that is blue toned on the left side and red toned on the right side. On the blue side, there is a copy of Washington State's Voting Rights Act, a map of Franklin County, Washington's electoral districts for the Franklin County Commission and a copy of the Washington Constitution. On the right side, there is a court filing in the case Portugal v. Franklin County. On the filing, there is a sticky note that reads “Franklin County Electoral System Challenge.” Finally on the tab on the right-hand side of the manilla file folder, there is the case number, 100999-2.

The DOJ Pledged to Relentlessly Protect Voting Rights. Is it Living Up to Its Promise?

Facing countless voter suppression laws, illegal maps and new conservative legal tactics, is the U.S. Department of Justice taking sufficient action to protect voting rights? We gather the DOJ’s lawsuits, amicus briefs and more.

By Rachel Selzer

May 4, 2023

The DOJ building on a dark blue background. Overlaying the DOJ building are lawsuit names tinted in three different shades of blue representing the DOJ's level of involvement in a given case. Case names in the darkest shade of blue indicate the DOJ filed the case, case names in the medium shade of blue indicate the DOJ was involved in some capacity and case names in the lightest shade of blue indicate the DOJ was not at all involved. The case names in the darkest shade of blue include: United States v. Texas, United States v. Galveston County, United States v. Arizona, United States v. Georgia , United States v. Oneida County Board of Elections, United States v. Way and United States v. City of West Monroe. The case names in the medium shade of blue include Pennsylvania State Conference of the NAACP v. Chapman, Colorado Montana Wyoming State Area Conference of the NAACP v. United States Election Integrity Plan, League of Women Voters of Wisconsin v. Wisconsin Elections Commission, Disability Rights Florida v. Lee, Arkansas State Conference NAACP v. Arkansas Board of Apportionment, Missouri Protection & Advocacy Services v. Ashcroft, Coca v. City of Dodge City, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians v. Jaeger and Bost v. Illinois State Board of Elections. Finally, the case names in the lightest shade of blue include: CASA v. Wheeler, Ardoin v. Robinson, Arkansas United v. Thurston, Palmer v. Hobbs, Vote.org v. Georgia State Election Board, Beaumont Chapter of the NAACP v. Jefferson County, Nairne v. Ardoin, Vote.org v. Byrd and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. v. Raffensperger.

North Carolina Supreme Court To Rehear State-Level Redistricting Case Underlying Moore v. Harper

On March 14, the North Carolina Supreme Court will rehear Harper v. Hall, a previously decided redistricting case out of North Carolina, which could impact the pending U.S. Supreme Court case Moore v. Harper.

By Madeleine Greenberg, Rachel Selzer

March 13, 2023

A red-toned gavel on top of a blue-toned gavel. The gavels are pointing in opposite directions.

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